Sign-exhibiting apparatus



Feb. 27, 1923. I V W s. WILLIAMSON. sum EXHIBTING APPARATUS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FILED APRI25|19215 SEE THE" 2? A UTO SHOW Jamsorz Mfimwswz HTTORNEY IFeb. 27, 1923, 5 1,446,731.

S. ;W-I'LLIAMSON. SIGN EXHIBITING APPARATUS.

FILED APR.25. I92]- 2 SHEETSSHEET 2- 2o 27 //v VENTOR PW HTTOR/VEY imerited Feb. 2?, i923.

SAMSGN NILLIAIESGH. OF

t e c p v) if d 5 awn u/ a at L Y 4 SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SIGILEXTZBITIHG APPARATUS.

Application filed April 25,

To all to 7mm it may concern I Be it known that I, Samson Wrnmnnson, acitizen of the ilnitcd Sta es, residing at Seattle, in the county ofhing and State of lVashington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in b;ig'n-E;-;hibitin;r Apparatus. of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to advertising devices.

An object of my invention is the provision of an attractive signexhibiting apparatus which by its peculiar arrangement and operationwill perform an optical illusion to the eye of an observer.

The invention consists in the novel construction, adaptation andcombination oi parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of apparatusembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view, partly insection of the same, with the habiliments omitted. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of Fig. '1 with a portion of the coat sleeve broken away. iFig. i is seetional View on line it-e of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a Viewsimilar to Fig. 3 to an enlarged scale and representing by dotted linesthe sign-shifting mechanism in various operas tive positions. Fig. 6 isa perspective view to illustrate the preferred form of the sign engagingappliances.

In sald drawings, the reference numeral 10 represents a stand having atop 11 hereinafter designated as the table which is provided along itsfront and side edges with wall elements 12 and 12 Secured to andextending upwardly from said table is a box shaped casing 13 (F 2 and4t) surmounted by a casting is which, in turn, supports a head 15.Secured to each side of the casing 13, as by fasteninp s 16 Fig. 5, is abracket piece 16 from which projects a pin 16 to which is pivotallysuspended a plate 17 of sheet metal which constitutes the upper part ofan arm. The lower end of the arm plate 17 is provided with a slot 18 toreceive a screw 18 which engages in the elbow end of a fore arm piece 19desirably of wood and terminates in a hand 20.

The portions of the above described parts between the table 11 and thehead 15are 1921. Ecrial No. 464,214.

:lothed by garments such as a cost 21, gloves 22, etc, to afford as nearas practical a similitude of a person.

The hands, one for each arm, are formed in partially closed conditionsand secured to each is a metal plate or litter 23, arranged transverselyof the apparatus and provided at its inner end with a pair of upwardlydirected spaced horns 24 In the operation of the arms, to be presentlyexplained, the plates 23 serve to engage the signs employed in theapparatus for transposinq the same.

The above mentioned signs are or' may be in the nature of cards, such as25 upon which advertising or other matter is displayed and arerespectively contained in rectangular frames 25 adapted to fit looselybetween the side walls 12 of the table 11 and in rearwardly inclinedpositions as rep;- ulated by a stationary backing; piece 26.

Adjacent to its upper ends and at opposite sides of the backing; piece26 and frames 25 are provided anti-friction rollers 26 and the formerbeing disposed to protrude from the front of the piece 26 and therollers 25 to protrude from the rear of the respective frames. I

Projecting laterally from near the tops of the respective frames arestuds 9.? which in sequence are engageable from below by the lifters 23which are operated by the arms to first elevate the rearmost frame as 25into dotted line position-25 see Fig. 5, whereat the respective sign orcard visible to an observer; second to convey such ttrame forwardly intoits 25 position; and thence rearwardly into the place occupied by theforemost frame 25.

When a sign is thus deposited. the lifters continue to travel downwardlyand rcarwardly into positions to engage another frame at the rearthereby completing a cycle of operation.

The litter movements above described are accomplished by mechanismswhich I will now explain with particular reference to Figs. 2, and 5.

hiounted upon a shell 28 within the easing 13 is a motor 29 which drivesa transversely arranged shaft as by means of a worm 31 and a worm wheelThe shaft 30, in turn, is operatively connected as by actuate the motionproducing mechanisms of both arms simultaneously. 7 In each arm, the pin36 of the respective crank-arm engages 111 an aperture provided in ahollow block 37. Said block is slidable upon a radius rod 38 whichispivotally connected at its upper end to a stationary pin 38 and at itslower end to a pin 39 carried by a reinforcing bar tO which is securedas by screws 41 to the associated forearm piece 19. I

The crank pin 36 is furthermore connected'by a rod 4-2 with a pin 43provided on the bar 4:0at a distance from the pivotal connection 39between the bar and said radius bar.

In action the rotation of crank shaft 35 through the medium of acrank-arm revolubly moves the block 37 to afford through theinstrumentality of the radius rod 88 swinging movementsto an arm as awhole.

In its crank impelled revolutions the block reciprocates upon saidradius rod thereby constraining the crank pin motions with respect tothe arm to produce, through the medium of the connecting rod 42,straightening and flexing movements of the arm during the forward andbackward swinging motions of the arm whereby the lifters of therespective arms are actuated to performj their frame conveying functionshereinbefore described.

Included in the invention are means to effect rearward movements to theframes 25 remaining upon the table after the rear most one 25 has beenwithdrawn by said lifters so as to afford between the foremost frame 25and the front wall 12 a space into which the frame being transported maybe deposited upon the table;

To such end I provide below the table two bars as disposed longitudinalof the apparatus and each having at its forward end a finger 46extending upwardly through a table slot 47 into engageable relationswith the frames 25. Said bars are movable in guides 48 by beingconnected to crank arms 49 provided on a shaft 50 to which rockingmotion is imparted through the agency of a lever 51 through thealternate actions of a cam 52 provided on shaft 35 and a spring The cam52 serves to produce relatively slow rearward movements ofthe bars 45and the frames, and the spring '53 produces rapid forward movements tothe bars.

The construction and operation of my invention will be understood fromthe foregoing description.

What I claim is,

1. In an advertising device, the con1bination with a plurality of signsprovided with studs protruding from the opposite sides thereof,uand atable for supporting said signs one behind another, of power actuatedmeans engageable with the respective studs for transposing said signssuccessively from the rear to the front of said table, and means forautomatically shifting rearwardly all of the signs remaining upon thetable while each sign is being conveyed by the aforesaid means.

2. In an advertising device, the combination with a table, a series ofsigns supported thereon one behind another, and means provided on saidtable to retain said-signs in substantially vertical positions, of poweractuated arms for successively carrying'the signs over said series fromone end thereof and depositing them at its other end.

3. In an advertising device, the combination with a plurality of signsprovided with studs protruding from their opposite sides, a table forsupporting said signs in substantially vertical positions onebehindanother, and a casing extending upwardly from the table to the rear ofsaid signs,- of a pair of flexible arms connected pivotally at theirupper ends to said casing for longitudinal swinging movements, meanscarried by the other ends of said arms for engaging'sa'id sign studs, amotor within said casing, and means actuated by said motorand extendinginto said arms to operate the latter to convey said signs successivelyfrom the rear to the front by successively fleXing,straigl 1t-1 eningand swinging the arms.

' Signed at Seattle, Washington, this'l9th day of April, 1921.

\Vitnesses PIERRE Bnnnns, lifanoAnn'r Gr. SUPPLE.

SAMSON WILLIAMSON

